Sallie Rose

I have really struggled with Sallie Rose for the last year. She was such a sweet, happy baby that really liked to follow the rules and have fun. Now, she is extremely moody, tests the limits of the law all the time, and can be down right rude to other people.

I have tried every type of discipline in the book and it works for a day and then the next day she's back to the same habits. She has improved greatly over the last month. I thought I would never have my sweet child back and then it slowly started changing. I love this girl so much. We have a great time together and she is so sweet and fun and silly most of the time with me. When we spend all day together, she is such an angel. We have no problems and no bad attitude. She is my first born baby and I am so proud of her, but she frustrates me to no end some days. She is a lot like her daddy in so many ways. He too frustrates me to no end most days. Kevin and I are definitely on the "opposites attract" group, and some days those oppositions really show and wear on our relationship, but we work through it.

Sallie Rose on the other hand, is still very hard to understand somedays. She has started K-3 this year and is going 5 mornings a week. It has been a hard 3 weeks of school. I knew from the first week she was not happy. I asked her teacher on Monday what was going on and she said it was hard to get her to participate and she was crying and yelling a lot. Ugh...just when I think things are good with her she starts acting out again.

Honestly, it breaks my heart. I want her to be happy, I want her to have fun at school and I try spending alone time with her and doing fun things , but it doesn't seem to work. She was very rude to one of Kevin's aunts the other night (which she has done to my family a lot but not his) and Kevin was so mad. It's awkward and we honestly have tried so many things to try and get her to stop doing it. She does not care. How do you make a child be nice when they are determined not to be? I have decided you can't. We have discussions, we spank, we do time outs, nothing works on this one.

So, I have fretted over her behavior at school all week and decided to march in that school and see what the problem was. She immediately started acting whiney and didn't want to participate. I told her she needed to participate or go home. She wanted to stay. I asked her if she would like me to volunteer one day next week and spend the morning with her, she was so excited. I knew right then, that's all it would take, for now. I don't get it. I see her 7 days a week and she still seems like she misses me and gets a little jealous of my relationships with other people. If all it takes is me spending some time at her class, then I'll do it.

Sadly, I know this is not then end of the road for this type of behavior. I know deep down that we will struggle for a long time with her. I don't like saying this, but the behaviors she has like Kevin's are so strong and opinionated. It's not a bad quality, it just has to be guided and controlled. Kevin didn't have that growing up. He and his mom have identical personalities and she worked all his life. She was very busy and they did the best they could with him. Plus, he was an only child. That is hopefully one aspect that will help Sallie with her attitude. She knows she is not the only person in the World and it doesn't always go her way.

I pray that I can guide her and encourage her in the right way so that she will flourish and use her very strong traits for good. Because let me tell you, she is so intelligent, so pretty, soooo determined and strong willed and that child will do great things if led in the right way. God has blessed us and her and I will try all her life to be the best parent to her and love her no matter how different the 2 of us are. God gave us each other for a reason and we will do the best we can to use her and our God given talents to make this World a better place.

Sallie Rose, you keep me on my toes and you have been the best big sister to Lulie and I pray I don't let you down and give up on leading you in the right direction and being a good example to you and Lulie Belle.